Cartridge-puncturing and dispensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A CARTRIDGE-PUNCTURING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR CONNECTION TO A CARTRIDGE PROVIDED WITH A PROJECTING CIRCULAR HEAD HAVING REENTRANT FLANKS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A VALVE BODY HAVING A BOTTOM PORTION INCORPORATING A PERFORATING NOZZLE AND A SEAL, SAID BOTTOM PORTION BEING ENGAGED BY THREADS WITH A CROWN OF CLAWS HAVING INTERNAL TEETH ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED AROUND THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE WITH A SKIRT OF SUITABLE DIAMETER DEPENDING FROM THE VALVE HEAD TO TO SURROUND SLIDINGLY THE CLAWS OF THE CROWN AND TO LOCK THE LATTER.

United States Patent [72] inventor Jean Andre Lherault Paris, France 121] App]. No. 808,258 122] Filed Mar. 18, 1969 [45] Patented June 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Societe Indudrielle Pour La Diffusion DEquipment E! De Material "Sidemat Paris, France [32] Priority Mar. 29, 1968 [33] France [31] 146440 [54] CARTRlDGE-PUNCTURING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

52 0.5. CI 222/5, 222/83, 222/189 [51] lnt.Cl B67b 7/24, B67b 5/58 [50] Field 01 Search 222/91. 83.5, 85, 86, 88, 87, 5; 222/189 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,585,695 5/1926 Schroeder 222/5 ABSTRACT: A cartridge-puncturing and dispensing apparatus for connection to a cartridge provided with a projecting circular head having reentrant flanks, said apparatus comprising a va1ve body having a bottom portion incorporating a perforating nozzle and a seal, said bottom portion being engaged by threads with a crown of claws having internal teeth adapted to be engaged around the head of the cartridge with a skirt of suitable diameter depending from the valve head to surround s1iding1y the claws of the crown and to lock the latter.

1 Q Q o n t CARTRlDGE-PUNCTURING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS This invention relates to a cartridge-puncturing and dispensing apparatus for connection to a nonrefillable cartridge containing liquid or gaseous products. A large variety of equipment employing such apparatus is known, particularly the burners of camping stoves intended to be used with cartridges of liquid gas. In order to limit cost, the apparatus embodying the present invention is coupled directly to the bare cartridge, without an intervening valve or cock, while the gas or liquid is taken from the cartridge with the aid of a perforation device. The fastening system is constituted by a projecting circular head on the cartridge, on which the apparatus is secured by a crown of internally toothed claws, the center of which is pierced by a threaded aperture.

A valve body having a bottom portion from which a perforating nozzle extends is moveable relative to the crown of claws by means of a suitable screw thread engaging threads through the center of said crown; an end member extending from the valve head contains a needle injector for controlling the rate of flow of fluids therethrough.

Once the claws are engaged with the cartridge head, it is necessary to lock the apparatus in order to obtain a secure connection with apparatus and the cartridge. This locking is effected by a skirt depending from the value head which is caused to slide along the claws. The perforating nozzle then approaches the cartridge when the valve body is screwed down, until the cartridge is perforated at the end of the movement of the nozzle.

This system overcomes several disadvantages of earlier devices; firstly, the sliding skirt if separate from the device may be lost, particularly in the case of gas appliances used for camping, and secondly, two separate operations are no longer necessary to put the device in action, since the manual locking of the skirt and perforation by screwing are accomplished simultaneously. By reversing these operations which are separate in the prior art or by forgetting to effect the first operation, it is possible for the user to effect the perforation before the coupling is locked on the cartridge; which may result in leakage.

The present invention has the object of obviating these disadvantages and it provides means for first effecting, during the single operation of screwing, the locking of the crown of claws and then, by continuing this screwing operation, the application of the seal against the cartridge and the perforation of the latter by the perforating nozzle,

Thus, after the crown has engaged, the user has simply to screw the valve body into the crown of claws; locking, then the application of the seal, and finally the perforation are effected automatically in the course of this operation. Safety is increased, tightness being perfect at the moment of the perforation because of the preliminary locking.

According to a preferred embodiment, the skirt is dependent from the valve body and follows the axial movements of the latter in the operations of screwing and unscrewing.

The crown of claws preferably has on the outside a conical slope extended by a cylindrical flank at the focus of connection to the cartridge head.

When the valve body is in the upper position in relation to the crown, the sliding skirt encloses the conical slope of the crown of claws without making contact with it. When the valve body is lowered by screwing, the skirt secured to it slides, is engaged on the cylindrical flank of the teeth because of the conical slope, thus locking the crown of claws and thus making its centrifugal displacement impossible. When the screwing is continued, the perforation nozzle is brought into contact with the cartridge and perforates the latter.

The valve body may have a head having a larger diameter on the bottom portion of which the skirt is fixed, the center of the crown of claws being accommodated between said valve body and said skirt.

The cupel-shaped sliding skirt may be fixed to the valve body by crimping, for example by means of an annular projection, under the head of the valve body.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description and of the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment thereof by way of example.

FIG. 1 is an axial section of the device,

FIG. 2a shows the toothed device before the operation of screwing,

FIG. 2b shows the toothed device approximately half way through the screwing, locking being about to be effected.

A valve body 1 carrying a head 2 of larger diameter is perforated to form an axial channel of varying dimensions. An internal chamber thus formed is provided with a sintered bronze filter 5 and an annular seal 6 seated in a nozzle body 3 which is extended in the downward direction by a perforating nozzle 4. A tight seal during perforation and subsequently during the operation of the apparatus is provided by a seal 7 intended to bear against the surface surrounding the perforation through the cartridge.

A cupel-shaped skirt 8 is crimped at 9 under the head 2 of the valve body. Its bottom edge, which is curved outwardly at 10 provides better seating on thecartridge when in the operation position.

A crown of claws 11 having internal teeth l2 is adapted to be engaged on a circular head 13 having reentrant flanks which project over the cartridge. The valve body 1 is screwed by means of a suitable screw thread into the center 14 of said crown 11, which has a complementary internal screw thread 15. A stop clip 16 prevents the screw threads from being entirely disengaged by screwing upward. The crown 11 has on the outside a conical slope 17 extended by a cylindrical flank 18 at the level of the teeth 12.

After engagement, the screwing of the valve body 1 into the crown lowers the skirt 8 which, by engaging the cylindrical flank 18 makes it impossible for the crown 11 to perform any rotational movement.

The valve head 2 carrying an end member 19 contains a needle injector of a type similar to that described in French Pat. No. 1,478,415 filed on the Feb. 3, 1966 by the applicants. This valve, which is in communication through a pipe 20 to the outlet of the filter 5, comprises:

a needle injector 21 pierced by an axial passage 22 which has its outlet laterally at the bottom of the needle 21;

a disc-shaped seal 23 secured to the base of said needle;

a toric seal 24 which provides tightness between the wall of the valve body 1 and the injector needle 21;

a return spring 25 bearing against the bottom of the end member 19 and urging the needle 21 in the downward direction;

a valve handwheel 26 which at 27 is screwed on the end member 19;

finally, a clip 28 on the injector needle.

When the valve is in the closedposition, the handwheel 26 is not in contact with the clip 28 and leaves the needle 21 free. By means of the needle 21 the return spring applies the seal 23 against the aperture of the pipe 20.

In order to open the valve, the user turns the handwheel 26, which rises, encounters the clip 28, and with the aid of the latter drives the needle 21 upwards, thus freeing the aperture of the passage 20.

In addition, a burner into which the needle injects gas is composed of:

a burner support 29 carrying a damper 30;

a grid 31.

Arms 32 supporting these two elements are articulated and rest at 33 on the head 2.

The utilization of the cartridge puncturing and dispensing apparatus therefore requires the following simple successive operations:

engagement of the teeth 9 of the crown 11 over the circular head 13;

screwing the valve head 2 -into the crown of claws l4(in the course of a single screwing operation the crown is first locked, sealing is'then effected, and finally the cartridge is perforated);

the valve handwheel 26 is-turned (allowing the gas to escape through the injector needle 21).

The present invention is obviously not limited to the terms of the foregoing description, but on the contrary includes all variations within the scope of those versed in the art, particularly devices in which the sliding skirt, not rigidly fixed to the valve body, would simply be fastened to the latter in such manner that locking is effected with a certain retardation during the screwing operation.

I claim:

1. A cartridge-puncturing and dispensing apparatus for engagement with a cartridge having a projecting head with reentrant flanks, said apparatus comprising:

l. a crown of claws having a threaded center portion and teeth for engaging the reentrant flanks of the cartridge;

2. valve means comprising:

a. a threaded body for engagement with said threaded center portion of said-crown of claws, said body having a nozzle extending therefrom for puncturing the cartridge, with a sealing member being disposed about said nozzle,

b. a head for rotating said valve means to cause axial movement thereof relative to said crown of claws, and c. flow rate control means;

3. a skirt dependent from said head of said valve means and operative to engage a portion of said crown of claws when said valve means is caused to move axially downward with respect to said crown of claws.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said crown of claws has a generally conical upper portion extending from said threaded center portion and a generally cylindrical portion in the region of said teeth, said skirt being engageable with said generally cylindrical portion by rotating said valve means to cause downward axial movement.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said skirt is cupel-shaped.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said valve means includes a valve handwheel operative to effect adjustment of said flow rate control means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said skirt is rigidly affixed to said head of said valve means by crimping 

